Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi has dismissed the impression that the announcement of the World Cup squad meant that the country has decided to take part in the marquee event, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka next month.
Naqvi stayed on his earlier stand that the PCB is waiting to know the Pakistan government's stand to take a call on the nation’s participation in the T20 World Cup, scheduled across India and Sri Lanka.
Why did ICC add Scotland in place of Bangladesh?
Cricketing governing body International Cricket Council (ICC) has replaced Bangladesh with Scotland from the upcoming T20 World Cup. ICC's stand came after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send their team to India for the mega event, alleging players' security concerns.
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Naqvi for PCB's stance
“We are waiting for the government's advice and whatever the government tells us to do we will do it. If they don’t want us to go for the World Cup, we will follow it,” Naqvi informed Pakistan players and head coach Mike Hesson here in a meeting which was held after the squad announcement as quoted by PTI.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced its 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. During a meeting with the players, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi briefed them on the board’s position after Bangladesh’s exclusion from the tournament.
Naqvi explained that Bangladesh were left out after they refused to travel to India, citing security concerns. He told the players that the PCB believes Bangladesh’s decision was based on principle and not politics.
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In an official statement, the PCB said the players supported the board’s stand in backing Bangladesh. Naqvi was quoted as saying that Pakistan strongly disagrees with what it sees as the ICC’s “double standards” in the matter. He added that cricket should always be run in line with the spirit and values of the game.
Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.